Brace means



June 24, 1941. e. w. TYSON BRAGE MEANS Filed Sept. 6, 1940 Arromvsy.

Patented June 24, 1941 UNITED STATE BRACE MEANS George W. Tyson, Los Angcles, Calif. Application September 6, 1940, Serial No. 355,585

6 Claims. (01. 272-23) My invention'reiates to brace means and more particularly to means for bracing scenery for stages, movie sets, and the like. It isfalso use ful for temporarily holding partsin any new construction. A

It is an object ofmy invention to provide a brace means that may be secured in a position in which it braces scenery at a point well above a mans reach, and it may be applied without the use of steplad-der. Y

Still another object is to provide means for holding scenery in a desired position without having to drive nails into the scenery, Which eventually breaks up the ribs'after repeated setting up, and may even injure thegscenery itself.

My invention also has for its objects to provide positiveiiess in operation, convenience in use, improved structure, ease in installation and disconnection, economy of manufacture, greater speed of application, relative simplicity and general superiority and serviceability.

Theinvention also comprises novel details of construction and novel combinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear in the course of the following description. However, the drawing merely shows and the following description merely describes one embodiment of the present invention, which is given by way of illustration or example only.

In the drawing, like reference characters designate similar parts in the several views.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of my invention applied to a broken perspective of stage or movie scenery.

Figure 2 is an enlarged, perspective View of elements comprised in the invention.

Figure 3 is an elevation of clamping means to be applied tothe back of the scenery, but showing the brace itself broken away;

Figure 4 is a section taken on the line 44 of Figure 3..

Figure 5 is a section taken on the ofiset line 55 of Figure 3.

Figure 6 is a back view of the clamping means comprised in my invention.

Referring more in detail to the drawing, the reference numeral 1 generally designates scenery for a stage or movie set which has vertical and horizontal strengthening ribs 8, 9 and H3 at the rear thereof.

In order to maintain the scenery in desired positions, I employ a. brace l2 that has an angular strip l3 provided with a foot M for nailing or otherwise fastening to the floor.

The upper end of the brace l2 has a yoke l5 that has ears 16 through which'is passed a bolt I! supported in flanges 18 and ll! of a channel shaped member '20. The belt l! pivotally sup ports the brace 12 on: the channel member 21). The back of the channel shaped member is shown at 21.

The diametrically opposite corners of the channel shaped member are slotted,- as shown at 2-2and 23 in'the flanges l8 and I9 respectively, from; the ends thereof. The channel shaped member also has bolt openings 24-and 25 adjacent opposite ends for the-support of the bolts 26 and 21 respectively. I

Hook members 28 and 29 are laterally slidable in the slots 22 and 23 respectively. The hook member 28 hasa point or tooth 30, while the hook member 29 has a point or tooth 3|. These points project in opposite directions, as perhaps best shown, in Figures '4 and 6'. The hook members 2'8 and 29 respectively have apertured tabs 32 and 33, whereby the channel member 29 may be nailed to a fiat, rear surface on the scenery, if desired. The hook members 28 and 29 also have bent ends 34 and 35 respectively that straddle and are slidable along the bolts 26 and 21.

Springs 36 and 31 are coiled around the bolts 26 and 21 between the bent ends 34 and 35 and the opposite flanges I8 and I9 respectively of the channel member 20. The springs tend to move the points and 3| inward with regard to the channel member 20.

In the use of my invention, a person may apply the hook points 30 and 3| to a strengthening rib as high as the length of the brace l2 would permit a man to reach. Thus a man would be able to apply my device to scenery considerably above his maximum reach, without the use of a stepladder.

The hooks are applied by tipping the channel member, by means of the brace I2, to the broken line position of Figure 6. Then the brace is moved to the full line position of the same figure, whereby the points 30, 3| bite into the rib on the rear of the scenery, by reason of the tension of the springs 36, 31. These springs thereby eiiectively grip the vertical rib and maintain the scenery in the desired position. The foot I4 is nailed or otherwise fastened to the floor, to hold all parts in position and to prevent twisting the brace and channel member in a rotary direction.

The device is as easily removed from said position. The nails are removed from the foot [4,

the brace I 2 is tipped to the broken line position of Figure 6, thus disengaging the teeth 30, 3| from the rib on the scenery.

My present invention not only saves the scenery ribs from repeated nailing, but speeds up the bracing of the scenery, and even reduces the amount of man power necessary to utilize a ladder and nail a brace to a piece of scenery, as now practiced.

While I have illustrated and described what I now regard as the preferred embodiment of my invention, the construction is, of course, subject to modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. I, therefore, do not wish to restrict myself to the particular form of construction illustrated and described, but desire to avail myself of all modifications which may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A device for engaging a rib on the rear of artificial scenery, comprising a brace member having movable teeth arranged to engage the rib at opposite sides thereof, and spring means tending to urge the teethsubstantially in opposite directions, into engagement with the rib.

2. A device for engaging a rib on the re'arof artificial scenery, comprising a brace member having staggered, movable teeth, and spring means tending to urge the teeth substantially in opposite directions, the teeth being spaced vertically a greater distance than the width of the rib to be gripped, whereby the staggered teeth may be tipped and moved toa position in which the teeth are facing opposite sides of the rib, the points of the teeth being closer together than said dimension of the rib, when urged by the spring means, considering such closeness with reference to parallel planes passing through the tips of the teeth at right angles to the direction of movement of the teeth.

3. A device for engaging a rib on a side of a structure, comprising a brace member having a gripping element provided with staggered, movable teeth, and spring means tending to urge the teeth substantially in opposite directions, the teeth being spaced vertically a greater distance than the width of the rib to be gripped.

4. A device for engaging a rib on the rear of artificial scenery, comprising a. channel-shaped body member, a brace member pivotally mounted in the channeled body member, teeth arranged to engage opposite sides of the rib, and spring means mounted in the channel of said body member and arranged to exert pressure upon the teeth in opposite directions, by abutting against opposite sides of the channel.

5. A device for engaging a rib on the rear of artificial scenery, comprising a channel-shaped body member, a brace member pivotally mounted inthe channeled body member, hook members having at one end points arranged to engage opposite sides of the rib, and the hook members having their opposite ends bent, and; spring means arranged to exert pressure upon the bent ends and against opposite sides of the channel of said body member, thereby exerting pressure upon the points in opposite directions.

6. A device for engaging a rib on aside of a structure, comprising a brace member having means for fastening to afioor and to other substantially horizontal structures, and gripping means arranged to engage the rib at opposite sides thereof, the gripping means being spaced vertically farther apart than the width of the rib that is gripped, and'the gripping means being arranged to grip the rib when movedto an operative position.

GEORGE W. TYSON. 

